Leica

You would think Leica has done with Photokina with announcements of Rangefinder M8.2 and couple of P&S, not so. Leica biggest announcement is yet to come! Perhaps the best kept recent news from the Photokina 2008, Leica is about to release an unexpected Leica S system- First with S2 DSLR packs a whopping 30mm x 45mm 37MP image sensor, which is 56 percent bigger than DSLR 35mm full frame sensor.

The days of 35mm slide projector have receded into the past as new digital projection equipments offer much easy and convenient integration with nowadays digital still and motion pictures. Even the old school Leica will be releasing their first digital projector with the announcement of Pradovid D-1200 - Featuring the traditional Leica superb optics while claiming smallest and lightest projector within its class.

Leica rolls out two new 10.1 megapixel digital compact cameras in preparation for the coming Photokina. The high end D-Lux 4 sports a bigger 1/1.63-inch CCD image sensor and a high-speed Leica DC Vario-Summicron 5.1-12.8 mm f/2.0-2.8 ASPH with 35mm equivalent focal length of 24 to 70mm. It also gets a bigger 3-inch TFT LCD monitor with 460,000 pixels and ISO sensitivity range from 80-3200. Photo format is available in three aspect ratios from 4:3,3:2 to16:9. The D-Lux’s enthusiast can extend the cameras usability with optional accessories like slot-on flash unit CF 22, black brilliant viewfinder or a hand grip.

News from Far West has revealed the Leica M8’s successor now known as M8.2. Nothing mind-blowing as the improved version employed the same old 10.3 Megapixel CCD 18x27mm sensor, body and characteristics of the current successful M8. But the new Leica’s M8.2 now featured more discreet and rugged design, intuitive features and last but not least, supported SDHC storage card up to 32GB.

Take about fast lenses and paper thin Depth Of Field! An ad leak from a French photography magazine-Chasseur d'images has revealed three ultra fast lenses from Leica. The German finest glass maker is more likely to update the legendary Leica 50mm F1.0 M Noctilux at the upcoming Photokina with a new 50mm F0.95 Noctilux ASPH. An F-stop on a par with the Canon 60s’s vintage 50mm F0.95. If the DOF gets any narrower, you will not be able to pin down the focusing point.

Shortly getting rid of the company former CEO Steven Lee, Leica issued a statement to clear the public mind on company direction pursuing M8 with a full frame sensor. If you’ve been waiting on M8 with the possibility of a Full Frame sensor at Photokina, wait no more, it’s less likely to happen.

Thirteen months ago Steve K Lee was hired as the Lecia CEO with the challenge of turning the company around in digital era. That didn’t happen and he has been dismissed and replaced by the company's owner and board chairman Dr Andreas Kaufman.

It’s not an easy task in the cut-throat digital camera business, and twice as hard ran a small-town German company. Perhaps the cultural indifferences are not the excuses here, but rather the conflict of interests on the controversial perpetual M8 upgrade and company direction in producing a full frame body.

If you couldn’t quite afford that vintage Leica nor its digital M8 version that you were groveling for, you might consider getting a mini replica of it from a Japanese company by the name of Komamura. They have been offering mini replicas of vintage cameras for some time now, but have just recently added the Leica M3.

As you can see from the picture, it is incredibly small, measuring in at 74 x 44 x 47mm and weighing 110g. But this palm-sized gizmo is no toy. It is a completely functional 5 megapixel digital camera with 32MB of internal memory, SD card reader, and LCD display on the back. Priced at around $420.

The new Leica M8 has all the latest technology but sports a very classic old school style. This new digital version of the classic Leica is a 10.3 megapixel camera, featuring a 2.5-inch LCD, a body made of magnesium alloy, 1/8000 second shutter speed, and can store up to 4gb of memory. Priced at $5000.